Personal, Social, Health and Economic
(PSHE) Education
The aim of the PSHE programme at Lancing College is to equip our young people with the skills, dispositions and knowledge to enable them to play a fully-fledged role in the modern world.
About the Curriculum
PSHE is taught in all year groups at the College in weekly timetabled lessons during the academic timetable.
The subject covers a whole range of topics which have direct relevance to the skills of everyday living and to key life choices concerning values, ways of living and relationships. The College follows the statutory obligation to deliver Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) as part of the PSHE programme.
It is taught weekly by a designated team in the timetable in Year 9 and Year 10 and through lectures, seminar and enrichment in Years 11, 12 and 13. Furthermore the subject matter is integrated and extended through our pastoral House systems. The programme uses expertise from within the school such as the safeguarding team, pastoral staff, the school counsellors, the Director of IT, staff of the Health Centre and staff from across a range of departments. In addition external speakers are carefully selected to add expertise in specific areas.
In all year groups, the key areas of self-awareness, citizenship, inter-personal skills and health are covered and age appropriate RSE occurs in all years from 9–13. The educational concept is to develop a spiral method of learning, preparing students with increasing knowledge of facts, skills and personal attributes that they can hopefully draw on in crunch moments throughout their lives.
Whilst pupils are presented with a variety of opinions for their consideration, these sessions are framed by the context of the College as a Christian foundation striving to provide a safe and supportive environment in which each pupil feels valued as an individual. As far as possible, matters of information are intertwined with moral issues. Housemasters/Housemistresses and Tutors too are encouraged to follow up PSHE matters with the pupils in their care.
Learning Approach
Students are predominantly taught in house groups. The programme is revised each year in response to feedback from stakeholders including students, parents and staff to ensure that it remains relevant and suitable for the school community.
There is considerable opportunity for cross-curricular learning, with PSHE topics also being addressed in, for instance, Religious Education, Biology, Business Studies, Economics and PE.
Overview of topics covered in the Senior School (Years 9–11):
Year 9 | Healthy relationships Marriage Abusive relationships Conflict resolution Smoking and vaping Alcohol Personal safety Bullying Leadership skills Mental health Social media and mental health Online safety Nutrition and health Healthy lifestyles Legal and illegal drugs Sexuality Consent Introduction to contraception Sex and relationships in the media Menstruation Gambling |
Year 10 | Body image Personal strengths and weaknesses Relationships and mental health Managing emotions Communication skills Online safety – protecting personal data Health choices – organ donation Bullying Study skills – effective revision Managing emergency situations Personal finance – budgeting Personal finance – earning Mental health Responsible use of social media Citizens and the law Cost of living and inflation Disability and discrimination Artificial Intelligence Refugees Sustainability Sexuality Pregnancy Contraception |
Year 11 | CV writing Further education options and careers Personality testing and careers Gambling Personal finance – work Personal finance – budgeting Study skills and revision techniques Illegal drugs Mental health Online misinformation and extremism Digital wellbeing Intimacy and relationships Sexual health Sexual harassment in schools |
The well planned personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculum is well-matched to meet the needs of pupils and reflects the school’s aims to be diverse and inclusive.
ISI Report, October 2023